Motor-vehicle



I (No Model.) 2 sheets Sheet 1.

H. MUELLER. MOTOR VEHIGLE.

No. 582,539. Patented May 11,1897.

2 Sheet-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. MUELLER.

MOTGR VEHICLE. No. 582,539. Patented May 11, 1897.

Alli 2 4 I INVENTQR J-UTEELLEK Tm: uunms PETERS ca. mom-mum WASNINGTDN.n, 0.

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT ()FFIQE.

' HlERONYMUS MUELLER, OF DECATUR, lLLlNOlS.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,539, dated May 1 1,1897.

Application filed A il 20, 1896.

To [all lull-071i zit-Duty concern:

'1 to it known thatI, IIIEnoNYMUs MUELLER, of Decatur, in the county ofMacon and Stat-e of Illinois, have invented certain newand usegine, inpart in provision whereby the driving mechanism is carried independentof the carriage-bed of the vehicle, in part in means for shifting thecounter-shaft lengthwise of the frame, and in part in novel steeringmechfllllSlll.

It is exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and it isdefined in the appended claims. I In the-drawings forming part of thisspecilieation, Figure 1 is a plan of running-gear constructed in:accordance with my improve: ments. Fig. .3 is aplan of thesteering-gear.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of. the details shown in Fig. 2.

In constructing a motor-cycle embodying my improvements a rear axle 1 isprovided and is supplied with carrying-wheels 2,each of which has asprocket-wheel, as 21. Springs, as 3, are fastened to the axle, insidethe wheels, and they extend upward to an extent sufficient to carry thebed' (not shown) well above the engine and driving mechanism.

An engine, preferably a gasengine, is placed at or near the positionindicated by 4. It has a water-jacket at- 5 of the customary or anydesirable construction, and it is supported in part from the axlel andin part from the rear end of frame 8'. The frame 8 vis made of metaltubing bent to about the form indicated and also turned upward in amanner to raise the rear cross-bar above the general plane. The ends ofthe tube are presented forward and are suitably plugged, anda'partitionat 9 divides the interior of the tube .into two compartments.A pipe 6 forms a communication between the water- ;iaeket and onecompartment of the tube and pipe 7 forms a communication between thejacket and the other compartment. A tank 10 is placed between the-sidebars of frame 8 Serial No. 588,257. No model.)

in front of the engine and the driving mechanism, and it communicateswith such bars through pipes 11., withthe result that circulation ofwater from the jacket is made through pipe (3 to one compartment of thetube, from one compartment to the other through tank 10 and 'ihecommunicating- The frame exposes .a large surface cylinder of the en inefrom becomin overheated. 1 v If desired, a small pump may be used tohasten circulation of water through the frame and tank.

Saddle-bearings 12 are made to fit on the side bars of the tubular frame8, and they are 1 secured to such bars by U'-bolts 13 or equiva-:

lent means. lross-bars 14 and 15 extend across the frame and connect thesaddles together, and intermediate bar 16 is preferablyused to connectbar 14 with bar 15. Setscrews 26 have hearings in nut-blocks fastened tothe side bars of the tubular frame in the rear of cross-bar 15, andtheir headless ends bear against said bar. The countershaft, which iscomposed of shafts 17 and 18, connected through compensating gearnig, 1s

j ournaled in bearings mounted on the saddles.

It receives motion from the crank-shaft 22 of g the engine through chain25 and bolts 23 and 24, for instance, and it imparts motion to thedrive-wheels 2 through sprocket-wheels, as 19, and chains, as 20. Bythismeans the driving mechanism is supported independent of the carriage-bedand the counter-shaft is adjustable'with relation to the engine-shaft.The first-named peculiarity gives greater stability to the drivingmechanism and relieves the carriage-bed'of the somewhat disagree ablesensation resulting from impulses of the engine, while the. last-namedprovision onables slack in the different connecting-belts to be taken upby moving the counter-shaft bodily away fromv the crank-shaft. Thiscffeet is dependent on. the fact that ll belts run in substantially thesame directi n from 29, that embrace the guides 30.

the counter-shaft, such direction being toward the crankshaft. Theshifting of the counter-shaft is effected by loosening the U- bolts,turning up the set-screws until a sufficient degree of tightness isdeveloped and then retightening the U-bolts.

From the ends of tube 8 bars 8 extend forward and downward, and theyconnect at their front ends with the cross-bar 27, the ends of whichhave arc-formed guides 30, disposed in avertical plane, such ares beingconcentric with the bar 27. The front axle 28 is pivoted on a pinextended horizontally through the center of bar27, and it has hooks Bar3i forms the pivot on which the axle 28 turns. It extends rearward frombar 27, and it has a vertical sleeve journaled in its rear end. A plate33 is fixed onto the sleeve, and it extends rearward therefrom. Zlocks34 and 35 connect one with each side of the plate 33, such connectionsbeing in the form of knuckle-joints, so disposed as to permit horizontalswing in the blocks.

A rod 36 connects with block S-tthrough a knuckle-joint the pivot-pin ofwhich is horizontal, and it also connects pivotally at its opposite endwith crank-arm 37 of one of the spindles of front wheels -.L6. Rod 38similarly connects with block 35 and with the crank-arm 30.. The ends ofaxle 28 fork vertically and in the forks the spindles of the frontwheels are swung on vertical .pivots. The crank-arms 37 and 39 extendrear vard from the spindles, and they connect with the rods, ashereinbefore stated.

A rod ll is set into sleeve in a manner permitting independentlongitudinal motion and precluding independent rotary motion, slots inthe sleeve and a pin, as l2, through the rod being preferably employedto effect the desired result. The rod is held in a part of thecarriage-bed, exemplified in this instance by cross-bar 43 on frontsprings 45, and its independent longitudinal motion is intended toaccommodate the rise and fall of the springs. A cross-arm 40 is fastenedto the upper end of rod 41, and steering-rods ti extend rearward fromthe ends of the crossarm and provide means for controlling the directionof travel of the vehicle. This enables the front axle to turn verticallyto accommodate uneven roads and the like, thereby avoiding alltendencyto twist the frame and disarrange the mechanism thereon, and theoperation of steering may be performed in the usual way, whatevertherelation of the bed or the axle may be to the tubular frame. The pivotalconnection of bar 31 with cross-bar 27 enables the sleeve to swingsidewise with the swaying of the carriage-bed, the universal-jointconnectionsbetween rods 36 and 3S and plate 33 permit independent swingof the axle and the sleeve without interfering with proper control. ofthe steeringwheels, and the telescopic rod 41 provides for up-and-downmotion of the bed. I

llaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Iatent 1. In a motor-cycle, the combination of a frame, anaxle pivoted to swing vertically, horizontally-swingable spindles on theends of the axle, such spindles having horizontally- .extendedcrank-arms, a vertical steeringtween the two eompartments, sucheommunication including a tank and its location being in front of theengine.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

HIERONYMUS MUELLER. Attest:

AnoLPH MUELLER, L. P. GRAHAM.

